Self-dispensing package



June 13, 1944. w AMBERG SELF-DISPENSING PACKAGE Filed March '7, 1941INVENTOR.

BY gum Patented June 13, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,351,470SELF-DISPENSING memos Walter E. Amberg, Beverly Shores, lnd., assignorto Universal Paper Products Company, Chlcago, 111., a corporation ofIllinois Application March 7, 1941, Serial No. 382,179

areas are deflned either by cuts or partial cuts 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a self-dispensing package for paper cups, moreparticularly to paper cups or other similar containers having a flanged,rolled or beaded rim.

The problem of providing a shipping container for paper cups, or similararticles having a rolled, flanged or beaded rim and which can beconverted by the user into a dispenser for the paper cups, has presentedsome difllculties. One dimculty is that the bead or flange around therim or mouth of the cup causes the cup to be relatively more rigid thana similar cup not having a bead or flange, and hence, does not permitthe cup to flex as readily. Furthermore, the bead or flange whenstrikingagainst fingers, projections or similar devices employed in dispensingcups, may become caught thereon and unrolled, thereby damaging the cupand increasing the resistance to its removal.

It will be realized that in dispensing cups the ease of removal of thecups from a. stack thereof is rather important. At the same time it isstill more important that the cups be removed from the stack not morethan one at a time. If more than one cup is removed at a time the cupsare wasted and the cost of providing them is increased. This isparticularly important in railroads, oifices and public places wherethousands of cups are used in a relatively short period of time.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide aself-dispensing package or carton which will dlspense cups having abeaded rim from the bottom or a stack one at a tim and without requiringa substantial amount of hand pull.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shipping carton in whichpaper cups or similar articles may be shipped without substantialexposure to dust and dirt and which at the same time can be easilyconverted to a self-dispensing package.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent byreference to the followin the sides of the carton, or by perforations,and are so constructed that the base of each of the triangular areas canbe pushed inwardly by pressing against the corner or edge of the carton.The preferred form of construction is to have the base of eachtriangular area 2, I, B and 8 formed by a cut or line of severanceextending entirely through the cardboard carton and to have the sidesformed by cuts or lines of severance extending only partially throughthe cardboard carton. Thus, when pressure is exerted against the edge ofthe carton in any of the triangular areas 2, i, t and 8 the base of thearea will immediately be pressed inwardly to the position shown inFigure 2. As illustrated in Figure 2, each of the pressed in portions 2,4, 6 and 8 forms a more or less pyramidal structure. This particulartype of structure plus the fact that the sides of the triangular areasare partially cut from the outside, serves to keep the pressed inportions in shape. However, if desired they may readily be pressed outagain.

With this type of structure the pressed in areas 2, 4, 6 and 8 areordinarily not sufficiently rigid to support a stack of cups and topermit the cups to be dispensed from the bottom of the stack one at atime. In accordance with the present invention it has been found thatthe simple expedient of placing a rubber band I0 around the lowerportions or bases of pyramidal pressed in portions 2, 4, S and 8 willmake it possible to dispense paper cups or similar articles having aflanged or beaded rim from the bottom of a stack mg description inconjunction with the accomone at a time, As each cup is dispensed itwill cause the pressed in areas 2, t, 6 and 8 to give slightly in anoutward direction, but the rubber band it causes them to immediatelymove inwardly again to engage the next succeeding cup and support theremainder of the stack. Thus. only one cup is dispensed at a. time andno loss or waste is incurred due to faulty dispensing action of thepackage. Furthermore, the presence of the rubber band it prevents thepyramidal pressed in portions 2, 3, G and 8 from assuming their originalpositions in the corners of the carton when the cups are dispensed. Itwill b recognized, of course, that if this occurs the entire stack ofcups would drop through the bottom of the carton.

The invention. as illustrated in the drawing. shbws a cone-shaped cuphaving a rolled or beaded rim. As shown, this cup is in a position inwhich it is ready to be dispensed by a hand cut or perforated areas 2,4, 8 and 8. These pull from the bottom of the package. The sides of thecup are generally tapering or conversing. Theedges I, I8, II and 20 ofthe pyramidal pressed in portions 2, I, t and 8, respectively. arealsogenerallytaperingorconvergingandasthe cupis withdrawn the beaded rimI! slides downwardly along the inclined edges ll, I8, I. and 20 of thedispensing elements 2, l, i and At the same time. these edges ll, l8. l8and 2. are pressed outwardly due to the relative rigidity ofthebeadedrim l2. Assoonasthebeadedrim l2 ofthecupispassedbeyondtheedgesll, I8, I! and 20 in a downward direction, the rubber band Inimmediately causes these edges to be pressed inwardly again in order toengage the nextsucceedingcupandtosupportthestack of cups. One importantfeature of this arrangementisthatthebeadedrimsofthecupsare not distortedor broken. This is important because,asiswellknown,onceabeadedrimisdistorted it does not readily return to its original or undistortedshape. Naturally the user does not care to employ a distorted cup.

It will be recognized that certain modifications may be made in thestructure described without departing from the invention. Theself-dispensing package shown, although particularly valuable fordispensing cone-shaped paper cupshavingabeadedrlm,mayalsobeusedfordispensing other types of cups havingbeaded rims such as flat bottom cups. The ears or flaps of the cartonshown by the numerals 22, II, I! and Il may be torn oil or otherwiseremoved when the carton is converted to a self-dispensing package,thereby permitting the bottom of the lowermost cup to extend asubstantial distance through the bottom of the package.

In describing the present invention, the pressed in portions, or areas,which assist in dispensing the cups have been referred to as beinggenerally pyramidal in structure. It will naturally be observed that,these areas when pressed in do not 1 form a complete pyramid but ratherwhat may be termed a semi, open-sided pyramid. It will be Y observedfurther that in the preferred structure illustrated in the drawing thetriangular areas are substantially equilateral and are disposed at I thecorners of the carton at or near one end thereof. Additionally, it willbe noted that the bases of the triangular areas are preferably in thesame transverse plane, although they may be p in different planes, andthat the corners of the erally pyramidal dispensing elements. .It willfurther be noted that the corners of the carton are the supports for thelowermost cup of the stack. Since these corners or edges slaint'in a;generally downward and inward direction, they ofler very littleresistance to the removalof the cups from the bottom of the stack by ahand pull. The resistance is further decreased by the angularity of theedges of the pressed in portions which permits contact with the cupsonly over a very narrow area. It will additionally be noted that theencircling rubber band in the, preferred structure illustrated. pressesagainst-the outside of the generally pyramidal dispensing element at the'Junctures of the bases of these elements with:

the sides of the carton l is non 0 end of said carton adapted to supportthe lowerof a stack of cups adjacent its rim,

ient means held in position by said cuts and tending to hold said areasin the state which they assume when pressed out of alignment with thewalls of said carton, whereby when the lowermostcupofthestack isdispensed said resilient means will permit the constrictions in thecarton to yield and thereafter will tend to return them to their normalpositions.

2. A self-dispensing package for paper cups and similar articles havingflanged or beaded rims, said package comprising a carton with apluralitywof areas pressed inwardly and adapted to support the lowermostcup of a stack of cups adjacent the rim thereof, said pressed in areasbeing substantially of an open-sided, semi-pyramidal form with the baseof said pyramidal 'willtendtopresssaidareasoutwardlyandsaid resilientmeans will tend to press them inwardly again after the cup has beendispensed.

3. A self-dispensing package for paper cups and similar articles havingflanged or beaded rims, said package comprising a carton of polygonalcross-section having a plurality of triangularly shaped areas formed inthe side walls at the corners near one end thereof, said areas beingdefined at their bases by cuts running transversely across the cornersof said carton and at their sides by hinge lines integral with the sidewalls of the carton, enabling said areas to be pressed out of alignmentwith the walls of said 2 carton to form constrictions therein adapted tosupport'the lowermost cup of a stack of cups adi'a'cent its rim, saidcuts being disposed'at substanti'ally the same distance from one endofisaid carton and an elastic band disposed in said cuts-and tending tohold said areas in the state which they'assume when pressed out ofalignmentwith the walls of said carton whereby when the lowermost cup ofthe stack is dispensed n will be understood that while it is ram able touse a rubber band I 0, or other resilient said elastic band will permitthe constrictions in the carton to yield and thereafter will tend'toreturn them to their normal positions.

4. A self-dispensing package for paper cups and similar articles havingflanged or beaded rims, said package comprising a carton with aplurality of areas pressed inwardly and adapted to support the lowermostcup of a stack of cups adjacent the rim thereof, said pressed in areashaving substantially an open-sided, semi-pyramidal structure with thebase of said pyramidal structure adapted to engage the lowermost cup ofa stack of cups, and a rubber band encircling the outside of said cartonat the juncture of said pyramidal pressed in portions with the sides ofthe carton whereby when the lowermost cup of the stack is dispensed therim thereof will tend to press said pyramidal areas outwardly and saidrubber band acting against the outer corners of the base of saidpyramidal structures will tend to press them inwardly again after thecup has been dispensed.

5. A self-dispensing package for paper cups and similar articles havingflanged or beaded rims, said package comprising a cardboard carton ofsubstantially rectangular cross section having a plurality of,substantially equilateral triangular areas near one end thereof, saidtriangular areas having their bases in substantially the same planeadjacent said end, having the corners of said carton substantially atright angles thereto with the apexes of said triangular areas coincidingwith the corners of said carton, the bases of said triangular areasbeing defined by a line of severance and the sides of said triangularareas being partially cut on the outside to facilitate the inwardmovement thereof whereby in the normal position of said triangular areassaid package may be used as a shipping container and when said areas arepressed inwardly from the bases thereof they form generally pyramidalstructures slanting in a downward and inward direction and act asdispensing means.

6. A self-dispensing package for paper cups, said package comprising acarton having angularly disposed walls and cup retaining members formedat the comers of said carton adjacent one end thereof, said cupretaining members having transverse slits extending into the adjacentside walls and upwardly converging scores extending from the ends of theslits substantially to the corners, the portions of the retainingmembers bounded by said slits and converging scores being deflectedinwardly into triangular downwardly inclined cup retaining detentspermitting the withdrawal of cups one by one.

WALTER E. AMBERG.

